Chapter Text
This. This is what Adora wanted. All those years of blood, sweat, and tears with battles, betrayals, and loss had led up to this moment. The moment where she gets to wake up beside the person she loves the most. Not from alarm bells and screams of people in danger, but from the gentle light spilling through the window as the sun rose in the east. Another day in paradise.
As Adora blinked the sleepiness away, she could feel the tips of Catra’s fur tickling her exposed skin. Last night had gotten particularly steamy, resulting in both of them falling asleep in the buff. Not that she minded; it only gave her more to look at. The blonde shifted to face Catra, who was currently positioned with her back toward Adora. She reached over to drape an arm over the magicat, all the while peppering her neck with gentle kisses.
Catra groaned, shrugging Adora off her body while covering her head with a pillow. Adora giggled.
“Good morning to you, too,” she hummed, running her fingers through Catra’s shortly cropped hair. Over the months, it had begun to grow out slightly, though Adora was sure it was out of laziness rather than intentional planning. Either way, she didn’t care. She loved Catra all the same.
As if sensing that Adora was thinking about her, Catra slowly stretched her arms out, shimmying out of the blankets to sit up and look at the blonde. It was hard not to. While her lower half was still concealed beneath the sheets, her bare chest was exposed for Catra to see. And, much to her surprise, she was finally out of the stupid little pony tail she insisted on wearing everyday. Now, it spilled freely over her shoulders. Cute.
“Hey, Adora,” the feline purred, continuing to stretch.
Brilliant blue eyes met those of the bicolored feline’s. “Hey, Catra. You sleep well?”
“Yeah,” she answered while smacking her lips. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Adora smiled and pushed some of the hair out of her face. “Am I not allowed to look at my girlfriend?”
“I didn’t say that. You just have this dumb little expression on your face kind of like the one you had before we-”
“Catra!” Adora blushed and playfully hit the feline’s arm. Catra finally flashed a smug grin. Getting Adora riled up was her favorite.
“You’re a handful, you know that?”
“You love me,” Catra shrugged. Adora simply shook her head as she tossed off the covers and got up from the bed. Bicolored eyes immediately wandered over Adora’s chiseled features. Just the sight of the blonde’s physique was enough to start a fire in her belly she ached to quench. Adora was apparently watching the gears turning in Catra’s head, because she walked around the side of the bed and planted a kiss on her forehead.
“Not right now, I’m afraid. We have to get ready. There’s another meeting today, remember?”
Catra scowled and sank back into the blankets, her mood instantly ruined. “Do we have to? Those things are always boring.”
“It’s important,” Adora stated while walking to their closet and choosing some clothing. “Horde Prime and his army may be gone, but we still need to address what we’re doing with the Fright zone. Scorpia’s here from Plumeria to discuss possible inauguration, too.”
“They can do that without us,” Catra peeked out from under the blankets, only to be disappointed that the blonde was already dressed.
“Technically, yes. Though, as members of the Princess Alliance, our attendance should be mandatory unless absolutely necessary.”
“We saved the frickin world. Scrap that. The entire universe. Can’t we get a break?”
Adora frowned, turning to the feline still covered by blankets. “Catra, you know we still have duties here. We had more than enough time to relax when we took that trip to Mystacor last week. This is just one meeting. There’s nothing else planned today. I’m sure you, of all people, can manage that.”
“Sure, I can. Doesn’t mean I want to, though.”
“Catra,” Adora crossed her arms.
“What? I’m not doing anything wrong. I just don’t really see the need of me attending this dumb meeting,” the magicat lifted her hands up in defense.
“So you say you don’t want to go. What will you do instead, then?” the blonde said, expectantly.
Catra shrugged, looking out the window. “I don’t know. Go on a walk. Annoy some stuck up guards. Train. Literally anything but a boring meeting.”
Adora pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you seriously going to be like this?”
“Be like what?” Catra leaned forward, a hint of a smile on her face.
“Difficult? Childish?”
“I’ll accept those,” Catra fell back into the bed with a thud. “You can let me know what happens later.”
Adora sighed. Knowing Catra, there would be no convincing. Once she made up her mind, she was unstoppable. Before, Adora admired this trait. Now… now it seemed as if that very trait was causing so much tension between them. Catra never wanted to do anything. Well, anything princess related. It was understandable, initially. After all, they were on opposite sides not too long ago.
However, the list of things she disliked only continued to grow. First, it was only paperwork she detested. So they sent her on recon teams to help rebuild destroyed towns. She didn’t like that either. Glimmer even went as far as offering Catra a rank within her army to train guards. She declined. Now, Catra was beginning to resent their weekly meetings.
Adora didn’t want to get upset. She just wanted Catra to be happy. For Catra to feel as at peace as she was. Perfuma said that everyone finds their calling in different ways. That’s why Adora was determined to find anything that Catra took a liking to. Currently, the only activities Catra really enjoyed were the ones where she and Adora undressed. It didn’t bother her too much to indulge in Catra’s desire, but she wanted a more permanent solution.
“Okay. You don’t have to come to this meeting. The next meeting, on the other hand, I would really appreciate it if you came with me. Please. I feel better with you there with me.”
Catra locked eyes with Adora. If it were up to her , she wouldn’t attend any meetings. She had stopped caring weeks ago. The only reason she went was because of Adora. She would beg with those puppy dog eyes and promise Catra a reward for her compliance if she looked unconvinced. Plus, now that they were dating, it was expected that Catra should be supportive in whatever Adora was doing. Something about girlfriend responsibilities or whatever.
“Fine,” Catra gave in.
Adora beamed and went to Catra’s side, kissing her forehead. “Thank you. I’ll come back when the meeting is over.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Catra waved her off. “If I’m not here, find Melog and they’ll take you to me.”
“Okay. Be safe,” Adora sighed, giving Catra’s a hand a squeeze one last time before exiting the room. Hopefully this meeting would go quick.
-
Glimmer was the first to call Adora out. Adora had entered the discussion with a cluttered head, meaning she quickly zoned out during Scorpia’s ramblings about half an hour ago. Too much going on in her mind about Catra to focus on the meeting, which wasn’t the best for her situation right now.
“..Adora?” the queen said for the third time in a row. Adora shook her head and blinked several times at the purple haired woman. She stared at the blonde expectantly. “What’s your input on the refugee situation?”
“The what now?” Adora glanced around nervously. She could hear Mermista’s disappointed sigh from across the room.
“Have you even been paying attention?” Glimmer asked, trying to hide the frustration in her voice.
“Uh, yeah! I have. I’ve just been really lost in thought, you know? Lot’s of thinking and all that. Don’t worry, totally paying attention,” the blonde quickly rattled off.
The queen quirked an unconvinced brow, though didn’t press further. “Alright, then. What do you have to say about this new law proposed?”
Adora felt a bead of sweat trickle down her back as she flicked her gaze to all the other members in the room. All of them held neutral faces. She couldn’t tell if everyone was for or against. With a gulp, she made a choice.
“I-I think that we could give it a chance,” the answer came off like a question. The rest of the alliance leaned over to the person next to them and whispered things Adora couldn’t hear.
“I agree,” Perfuma added, standing up. “We should give clones and former Horde soldiers sanctuary here. We’ve seen with our own friends,” she gestured to Adora. “Many didn’t purposefully join that evil place because they wanted to. They manipulate children from a young age to become brainless followers. With love and guidance, they can become new members of our society.”
More whispers and looks. Mermista didn’t stand to contest, but piped up her own opinion, nonetheless. “Uh, what if the former Horde soldiers are like, still evil? Then we bring them right to our doorstep, which is like, bad.”
Frosta jumped on the table. “Then we can kick their butt with these babies!” she shouted, forming ice fists and pumping them in the air.
“Everyone, please, quiet down,” Glimmer announced. “Frosta, we hear you. Please get down from the table, now. We can discuss this without damaging the furniture.”
Frosta grumbled as she slid back into her seat. Next to her, Netossa placed a hand on her shoulder. “No, no, you’re on to something,” she said to Frosta, who smiled. “We don’t know if all those who take refuge here, or any kingdom, are inherently good. Mermista is right. Then we lead them right into our own homes.”
Spinerella took her wife’s free hand in her own. “I agree. We need a plan to filter out those who aren’t here for rehabilitation.”
Beside Glimmer, Bow nodded, jotting down the notes from their discussion. He handed the papers to Glimmer, who briefly glanced at the writing.
“You all make valid points. I believe we should think of ideas to deal with this issue and talk about them next week,” everyone nodded in agreement. “Scorpia, we should begin preparing an official inauguration for you in the incoming month.”
The white haired woman smiled. “Aw, shucks, you guys are great.”
“Well, if we have no further questions, that will conclude this week’s meeting. Thank you all for coming.”
The rest of the princesses rose from their chairs, entering conversations with one another as they filtered out of the room. Adora got up to leave, too, but was intercepted by Glimmer. The queen materialized in front of the blonde, blocking her path to the door. “Ah ah ah! Not so fast. We’re having a talk first.”
“Wait, what?” Adora managed to say before Glimmer grabbed her arm, teleporting out of the room. When they reappeared in Glimmer’s room, Adora nearly tripped and face planted onto the ground. Glimmer sighed and waited for Adora to regain her balance before crossing her arms and starting her interrogation.
“Mind telling me what that was all about? You didn’t make a peep all morning.”
Adora nervously fiddled with her shirt collar. “I.. I have a lot on my mind right now. I’m sorry I didn’t contribute much to the meeting today. There’s something- someone that I can’t quite figure out how to fix.”
Glimmer’s look softened as she guided her friend to the chez lounge. “Is it about Catra?”
“How did you know?” the blonde gaped.
Glimmer gave a knowing smile. “You think I wouldn’t notice that she didn’t show up today? The second you entered the room alone I knew something was up.”
“Oh,” Adora blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Was it that obvious?”
“You kept glancing back to the door like you were waiting for someone to come in. I know that look anywhere. You miss her, don’t you?”
“Yeah..” Adora trailed off, staring off into the distance. Glimmer, not wanting to lose Adora’s focus, tentatively reached for the blonde’s hands. She grabbed both of them, raising them to her chest.Adora’s baby blues raised to meet their lavender counterpart.
“Hey, it’s okay to miss her. You’re not the only one worried about Catra.”
“I know. I know..” she mumbled. “I just.. I’m at a loss. I don’t know what else to do, Glimmer. She doesn’t take to anything, nothing appeals to her. I want her to be happy, that’s all.”
“She is happy,” Glimmer reassured her. “She’s just having a little trouble settling, that’s all. Remember how you were when you first came here?”
Memories flashed before Adora’s eyes as she went over her first encounter at Brightmoon. It took her weeks to properly become comfortable with all the odd customs. When she brought Catra to Brightmoon, she always assumed that the transition would be easier since they had each other. Unfortunately, that hypothesis did not turn out to be correct.
“I slept with a knife under my pillow,” Adora smiled at the silly recollection.
“Ugh, I know! Do you know how scared I was that you’d accidentally cut yourself while asleep?”
The two girls chuckled together at the fond memories. Adora took back her hands and put them behind her to lean back. “Don’t get me started on your beds.”
Glimmer eyed her playfully. “We had to make a bed specifically for you and Catra that was hard and flat like the ones you used to have, so shush.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Adora said, slyly.
“Don’t you dare,” Glimmer warned. She had enough of being called your highness and your majesty by her subjects. The last thing she needed was for her friends to adopt the annoying formalities. “I can just as easily replace all the furniture in your room with fuzzy, purple cushions.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“I think you underestimate my capabilities,” Glimmer stuck her tongue out. Adora giggled again, feeling the tightness in her muscles relax after being tense all morning. This was exactly what she needed.
“Hey, Glimmer?” Adora said, quietly. The other woman saw the change in emotion in Adora’s face and immediately adapted a more serious one.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. For all of this,” she said, sheepishly. “I really needed a distraction.”
“Oh, Adora,” Glimmer scooted forward, wrapping Adora in a tight embrace. “I’m always here for you. Whatever you need. If you ever want to talk or anything, I’ll be there. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing. You’re important.”
Adora paused for a moment, then melted into Glimmer’s arms. It felt so warm. Safe. Comforting. Everything a hug should feel coming from your closest friend. She instinctively buried her face in the crook of Glimmer’s neck, inhaling the sweet smell of vanilla that lingered there. Adora was always fond of it, not that’d she’d ever admit it.
“You and Catra will work through this. She’ll find her calling, eventually. Right now, you just need to be supportive. You’re amazing at doing that,” Glimmer continued.
“Glimmer!” Adora whined, obviously flustered at the compliment. Glimmer smiled to herself as she saw Adora’s cheeks turn a light shade of red.
It was.. cute. Was she allowed to think that? Bow called Catra cute all the time and it wasn’t awkward. And yet, with Adora, it felt different. When she blushed, Glimmer could feel her heart skip a beat. Her laugh was music to her ears. Glimmer could never get enough of it. If she didn’t know any better, she could swear she had a… no. Adora was with Catra. She wouldn’t think about that about her best friend.
Was hugging crossing the boundaries? Glimmer slowly detached herself from Adora, though kept a hold of her forearms. “You should find her. Tell her about how you feel about all this.”
Adora hesitated. “What if she doesn’t want to listen?”
“Adora,” Glimmer said, sternly. “She’s your girlfriend. That’s her job. To listen to your feelings. She cares about you. She would want to know about this.”
The blonde nodded, taking a deep breath to stabilize herself. “You’re right.”
“I know,” Glimmer tossed her nonexistent long hair over her shoulder.
Now it was Adora’s turn to give a big hug to Glimmer. “You’re the best.”
Glimmer had to fight the heat rising to her cheeks as she reciprocated the gesture. Was her tongue always this heavy? “Anything for you.”
Adora smiled and rose from the chez lounge. “I’ll tell you how it goes, later.”
“Looking forward to it. Good luck! You can do this!”
“Thanks, Glimmer!” Adora called over her shoulder, hurrying out of the room. Glimmer waved until she was out of sight and decompressed into the cushions. Why was she so flustered all of the sudden? Adora didn’t do anything differently. Perhaps her moon blood was early. That always made her hormonal. Glimmer silently wrapped her arms around herself, reminiscing in the ghost of Adora’s strong arms around her.
She had an inkling this new feeling was going to make everything a lot more complicated.